If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Entitlement

Do you believe people have more of a problem with entitlement nowadays, as is often suggested? This is often brought up in the context of political discussion, but I'm interested in the psychology of the entitled mindset, as well as the social causes for it. Do so-called "entitled people" really believe that they are entitled to the things that they want in the sense that they truly believe they deserve these things? Or is it simply a matter of them taking the path of least resistance? Furthermore, what factors lead to individuals and cultures of entitlement? As you've probably heard expressed before, people often point to freeriders and abusers of government programs as the reason for this.

Mainly, I'm leaning toward thinking that saying that a person (or large segment of society) has an entitlement problem is an easy way. It's very shallow from a psychological perspective. I think people just like convenience rather than actually believing that they deserve everything good for doing nothing. Furthermore, the work force sucks for people who are starting from the bottom, so it's hard to build any momentum. People who would otherwise be motivated to build their career path are discouraged.

There are a lot of affluent people who eat at the restaurant I work with, a lot of them are really nice, some of them are ridiculously entitled.

One guy asked a server if we have cappuccinos, she told him we don't. His response was to ask her if she could go get him a cappuccino from the restaurant across the way. He wanted her to ho to another restaurant, get him a drink, and bring it back.

My brother firmly believed he was entitled to live in my house, pay no rent/utilities or even work, and not be expected to follow any rules set by me or my husband or do any chores. He grew tired of living with friends before that for free, because they expected him to do housework. He no longer lives with us and still doesn't have a job. My sister is similar only she lives with my mom instead. She feels like she is entitled to owning a car, without getting a job to maintain said car. I'm not sure how all of that started, because we grew up with relatively little and I work very hard to have what I have. A friend of mine has a bunch of kids and is on various forms of welfare, but they have two cars and her four year old has a tablet.

Originally Posted by Little_Miss_1565

Or what? Or you'll leave as soon as someone returns your rudeness and delete all your posts? I'm so scared.

Like Lost's brother, my sister is the most entitled person I know. She's almost 21, still mooches off her dad, living at home, working part-time in a clothing store so she can make enough money to afford booze and clothes. She doesn't pay rent or do anything around the house. She bothered her dad into buying her a car because she needed it, and meanwhile she drives drunk all the time. She also keeps hoping for/expecting to find a rich guy to marry her. When she started gauging her ears, I told her that once they reach a certain size, they won't close back up on their own. She said it's okay, she's going to marry a rich guy who will pay for the surgery. Dead serious. Her ears are gauged like an inch and a half now. No rich boyfriend/husband in sight.

And let's not get started on people who use unemployment/welfare, but spend it on so much gratuitous stuff they don't need. Maybe the tablet was a gift from a friend or relative, and maybe the cars were handed down... but that's not always the case. Some people just really do feel entitled to have that kind of stuff.

We've all had experiences with the people that have been described here, but I'm also curious about the psychology behind how these people think. As in: what is their thought process like? Do they literally make a judgement call that they ought to have something because they deserve it?

I don't think we can know that unless we are one of such people. I have no idea what's in their thoughts. I don't think this is an area psychologists have really delved into, but I could be wrong. You could google it if you're curious.